Gift Cards Worth $100 Offered by Amazon for Users Purchasing Select Hotspot Devices From Sprint and Verizon

Amazon Wireless is offering users who buy select 4G hotspot-capable devices a $100 gift card upon activating their phones with the hotspot feature enabled on their plans.

Some of the devices they’re offering up are the DROID Bionic and HTC Thunderbolt from Verizon plus the Motorola Photon 4G and Samsung Epic 4G Touch from Sprint. They have many more options so you’ll have to head on over to Amazon and check them out.
No AT&T or T-Mobile phones, unfortunately, but if you’re with one of these CDMA carriers and planning on buying any of these phones with hotspot anyway, this will be a good deal. That $100 could go toward some accessories or pretty much anything on Amazon’s site. [via PocketNow]

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Samsung Conquer 4G Discounting To $50 In January Sprint – Offers You Another One FREE With Purchase

Sprint is trying to kick off 2012 into high gear with a new winter promotion starting next month. From January 8th through March 10th, new or existing Sprint customers (with an upgrade) can get a Samsung Conquer 4G at the discounted price of $50 but that’s not all — it also comes with a matching Conquer for free. Deals always sound more fun with you throw BOGO into the mix and you could do a lot worse than the Conquer 4G. As a refresher for anyone suddenly interested in the device, the Conquer features a 3.5-inch screen, 1GHz 2nd gen Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM and connectivity to Sprint’s 4G WiMax network (where available). Not too shabby for $25 a pop when you buy two.
[Via SprintFeed]

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Glu Mobile ID Packs Launch on Select Sprint Devices

Glu Mobile, a leading global publisher of Social Mobile games, today announced a new way for Sprint customers to access the diverse offering of Glu games with a couple simple clicks. Part of Sprint ID, a service that downloads apps, widgets, wallpapers and other content related to a person's interest at the push of a couple buttons, the Glu ID packs allow users convenient access to many of their favorite Glu games - including top titles: Gun Bros, Bug Village, Contract Killer, Guitar Hero and Deer Hunter Challenge.
Owners of select Sprint devices such as the LG Optimus S (TM), Motorola PHOTON(TM) 4G, and Sanyo Zio(TM), Samsung Galaxy S(TM) II Epic(TM) Touch 4G , and Samsung Galaxy Tab(TM) will be able to choose Glu ID packs for instant access to high-quality Social Mobile games for any audience. Glu ID packs include family-friendly, casual and hardcore shooter games - all with stunning graphics and exciting gameplay.
"Glu is excited to partner with Sprint to provide our audiences with a convenient and accessible way to play their favorite Glu games, while also discovering more of our diverse offerings," said Mike DeLaet, vice president of sales and marketing at Glu.
Available Glu ID packs are:
* Guitar Hero & More: Download this ID pack and prepare to rock out to Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock. As an intermission, check out the 10 additional Glu games available in this ID pack.
* Deer Hunter & More: This ID pack is a bulls-eye for shooting fanatics with Deer Hunter Challenge, Deer Hunter 3D and Deer Hunter African Safari. Waiting to reload? This ID pack includes a dozen more Glu games to test your skills.
* Free Glu Games: Thirteen Glu games at your fingertips for the best price: FREE! This ID pack features top franchises like Guitar Hero and Deer Hunter.
All three ID packs feature Glu top shooter games, Gun Bros and Contract Killer.
Glu ID packs are free to download with an Everything Data plan from Sprint. Users can download up to four additional ID packs onto their device, in addition to Glu. To see all Sprint ID packs, visit www.sprint.com/sprintid.
About Glu Mobile
Glu Mobile (NASDAQ: GLUU) is a leading global developer and publisher of Social Mobile games for smartphone and tablet devices. Glu's unique technology platform enables its titles to be accessible to a broad audience of consumers all over the world - supporting iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Google Chrome and beyond. Glu is focused on bringing the best in social, freemium, cross-platform mobile gaming experiences to the mass market. Founded in 2001, Glu is headquartered in San Francisco and has major offices in Kirkland, Washington, Brazil, Canada, China, Russia and the UK. Glu is focused on creating compelling original IP and also partners with leading entertainment brands including Activision, Atari, Caesar's and Fox. Consumers can find high-quality entertainment created exclusively for their mobile devices wherever they see the 'g' character logo or at www.glu.com. For live updates, please follow Glu via Twitter at www.twitter.com/glumobile or become a Glu fan at Facebook.com/glumobile.

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Sprint Asking Partners To Get Rid Of Carrier IQ

Carrier IQ got a lot of press lately but all that ink turned out to be a tad bitter for the company. Starting from the moment the software bit was discovered until the official Carrier IQ position, and statements from carriers and OEMs, the buzz is just getting more and more hyped.

According to recent reports based on information received from "sources inside HTC", "as a result of the lawsuits targeting Carrier IQ, Sprint, and other CIQ-using OEMs", Sprint "has asked all of their partners to get rid of Carrier IQ". We're talking about the same Sprint that recently said "Carrier IQ can be found on most Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones". Sprint made it clear that it "does not and can not" look or record contents of messages, photos and videos on phones but the usage of the Carrier IQ bit is limited to understanding device performance on the network, a fact that is also laid down in Sprint's privacy policy.

The plan is for OEMs to prepare updates which will then be delivered over-the-air to phones, refreshes which will of course be lacking Carrier IQ. There's no timeframe attached but you can expect updates to start hitting devices in the very near future.

[Source: Geek]

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Sprint’s Nexus S 4G gets Android 4.0.3 ROM Ported from T-Mobile’s Nexus S OTA

Android Central forum member beezy has whipped up an Ice Cream Sandwich treat for you folks on Sprint with a Nexus S 4G. The Android 4.0.3 OTA for T-mobile’s Nexus S has been ported to Sprint’s Nexus 4G. You won’t see any wimax (4G), but 3G data, camera, WiFi, and bluetooth are confirmed working. You’ll need to be rooted and you can flash this ROM via Clockwork. You will also need to head over to the AC forums and be registered to download the file and you can do so from the source link below. Happy flashing, but do so at your own risk.

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Sprint Releases Software Fix EK02 for Epic 4G Touch to Fix Loss of Signal

Sprint has finally released a software fix for the Epic 4G Touch for the dreaded loss of signal bug that’s been plaguing the community for quite some time. The bug would cause the voice and data radios to lose signal, something that was only fixable by a reboot.

It was originally believed that the bug most commonly affected those who were in bad coverage areas. Those who lose signal in bad coverage areas are supposed to be handed over to Verizon’s network until they can recover a Sprint signal, but the handoff to Verizon tends to stall and eventually the radios shut themselves down until you reboot the phone.
We’re glad that this was easily fixed through software even if it took a long time to come to fruition. Sprint also fixed the bug where your 4G hotspot connection would periodically disconnect while on a phone call. Head to this link for instructions on how to pull the update down. If you’re rooted, we’re sure your favorite ROM developer will make no delay in updating their ROMs based on this version if they haven’t already. [via Sprint Feed]

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T-Mobile and Sprint Speak Out About Their Carrier IQ Use

T-Mobile and Sprint have recently decided to chime in on the conversation regarding their use of Carrier IQ, a metrics tool used to gather statistical data. Via some internal and unreleased memos regarding Carrier IQ, both carriers have discussed, as expected, its intended use which was to simply log data for troubleshooting and to improve the overall network performance for each respective carrier. Check out their responses below in an interview with The Verge:

To wit:

T-Mobile: ”T-Mobile does not use the tool to obtain the content of text, email or voice messages, or the specific destinations of customers’ Internet activity. It is not used for marketing purposes. T-Mobile uses the Carrier IQ diagnostic tool to gather device data for effective troubleshooting and to increase the overall device and network performance for our customers.
Sprint: ”Sprint uses the Carrier IQ data to only understand device performance on our network so we can identify when issues are occurring. … Even with Carrier IQ, Sprint does not and cannot look at or record contents of messages, photos, videos, etc., nor do we sell or provide a direct feed of Carrier IQ data to anyone outside Sprint.

In addition, T-Mobile also went one step further and listed the devices on its network currently running the Carrier IQ software. Hit the break for the full list of infected handsets.

• HTC Amaze 4G
• Samsung Galaxy S II
• Samsung Exhibit II 4G
• T-Mobile myTouch by LG
• T-Mobile myTouch Q by LG
• LG DoublePlay
• Blackberry 9900
• Blackberry 9360
• Blackberry 9810

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New Carrier IQ Class Action Lawsuit Sues More OEMs, Carriers

As accusations of fouplay within Carrier IQ have turned up due to research work done by Trevor Eckhart – who exposed the company for collecting user information that may be violating the Federal Wiretap Act – some lawsuits shortly followed.
One early class action lawsuit targeted HTC, Samsung and Carrier IQ. A new one filed by three lawfirms in a joint effort is targeted at HTC, Samsung, Apple, Motorola, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile. Strangely enough, Carrier IQ itself isn’t being sued in this particular instance.

Carrier IQ has not been hit with a formal federal investigation yet but these lawsuits and pressure from government bodies all add nicely to a hopeful investigation sometime in the future.
Carrier IQ has admitted that their application may appear to be logging information that should be kept private, but they say it’s a byproduct of trying to send information to carriers and OEMs that is actually useful to helping them improve wireless service.
Saying it is one thing and proving it is another, though. Hopefully more of these lawsuits turn up and a big, bright spotlight will be put on the carriers and OEMs who use this service in order to put immense pressure on Carrier IQ to fully and accurately show what information really is or isn’t being transmitted from our phones.

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Samsung, Intel and Sprint Announcing New Smartphone At CES 2012?

Some big announcements could be made at CES 2012 in January according to AndroidandMe who has it on good authority that Samsung Mobile will release the first Intel powered Android phone and it could be making its way to Sprint. Let’s try and piece everything together.
It’s been rumored that Samsung could be getting out of the PC business but has reportedly extended their partnership with Intel. Strange, what would a renewed partnership with Intel bring? You guessed it — smartphones.
We told you guys a few weeks back that Intel was waiting on Ice Cream Sandwich before arriving on the scene with an Android smartphone and today, PCWorld is reporting that Intel already has Android 4.0 up and running on a device powered by their Atom processor (also known as Medfield) and is currently working with manufacturers to get everything optimized on those devices.
Intel’s CEO, Paul Otellini, is scheduled to give a keynote at CES 2012 and has been touting to AllThingsD, their Atom processor’s superiority over ARM’s chips in graphics, javascript and browser performance. Not so much in the battery department (no surprise there) where they came in around 3rd and 4th.
Intel wont be the only ones dropping bombs at CES. Sprint too, is gearing up for a big announcement January 10th at CES and what else could it be but another one of their famous “industry first” keynotes announcing an Intel powered smartphone running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich? I know it sounds crazy — crazy like a FOX.
Exciting things in store for next year and you can rest assured knowing the entire Phandroid team will be on hand at CES 2012 bringing you guys all the latest in just a little more than 40 days. I’m ready, packed and moist.
[AndroidandMe | PCWorld | AllThingsD]

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Sprint Express Coming Nov. 18, Android 2.3 Smartphone for $19.99

The BlackBerry-style portrait QWERTY design has become a popular option for mid to high-end Android handsets aimed at the business user, but Sprint is set to bring the form factor in at a much more affordable level. Unlike their more refined Motorola XPRT the Sprint Express will be a low-end Android 2.3 device featuring a 2.6-inch display, 600MHz CPU, and 3.2MP camera. The specs are a far cry from the dual-core beasties we have come to crave, but it creates an affordable option at only $19.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate.
[via AndroidCentral]

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Sprint Starts Epic 4G Gingerbread OTA: Have You Got Yours?

Hey there Samsung EPIC 4G owners, have you been craving an over the air update? As luck would have it, Sprint just announced they’ll begin sending Android 2.3 out to Epic 4G owners starting today. It should automatically start downloading and installation should take only a few minutes.
Here is what Sprint had to say about the benefits of the Android 2.3:

The software upgrades Samsung Epic 4G to Android 2.3, Gingerbread. This version of the Android software improves download management through the Downloads application offering easy access to any file downloaded from the browser, email or another application. It also fixes the devices ability to stream media through certain applications for the device. This maintenance release will also improve the user experience by improving Bluetooth^® headset sound quality and addressing minor issues with the lock screen date and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync^® HTML tagging.

Folks on our Epic 4G Forums have been asking for Gingerbread for awhile and a few users are reporting they’ve received the update: have you got yours?
If so, you can now begin craving Ice Cream Sandwiches. If not, you’re still officially two desserts behind.
[Android Forums via Sprint]

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Google Wallet teams up with Sprint and Samsung to showcase service in-store

The GoAndroid first got a peek at Google Wallet back in May, and the NFC-driven wallet went live in September. And in a blog post earlier today, Keren Michelson, Product Marketing at Google Wallet, announced it was teaming up with Sprint and Samsung to embark on a roadshow to help consumers get to grips with Google Wallet ‘in situ’.
From now until January, Google will be visiting stores in the five key cities where Google Wallet is live – New York, Chicago, Washington DC, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It will set-up half-day events to demo Google Wallet and actually help customers pay for goods with the service. Participants will be motivated to take part too, as they’ll receive $10 towards their purchase when they pay using one of Samsung’s Nexus S demo phones.

Stores on the radar include Duane Reade, Jamba Juice, Walgreens, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Foot Locker and Fat Witch Bakery, among others. Google Wallet will be in each city on the following dates:
New York: Oct. 17 – Nov. 13
Chicago: Oct. 17 – Nov. 13
Washington, DC: Nov. 15 – Dec. 12
San Francisco: Nov. 15 – Dec. 12
Los Angeles: Dec. 14 – Jan. 12
The series of events follow hot on the heels of another promo initiative Google held a few weeks back, as we reported when employees decked out in Google Wallet gear headed into stores such as Duane Reade, Toyrs R Us and Macy’s, approached customers with Android phones and pitch the Google Wallet experience whilst offering to pay for their purchases in full.

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Sprint adds over 1 million subscribers in Q3 2011, still loses contract customers

As part of its Q3 2011 earnings report, Sprint noted that it has posted its 6th consecutive quarter of subscriber growth, adding nearly 1.3 million subscribers for the quarter, bringing its total to 53.4 million. That is roughly on par with where the company stood back in 2007.

In spite of that growth, the company still reported a net loss of 44,000 contract customers, which typically are more profitable than pre-paid subscribers.

In dollars and cents terms, Sprint managed to post its smallest financial loss in 4 years, at $301 million. It posted a loss three times as large during the Q3 period of 2010. Revenue rose 2.2 percent to $8.3 billion.

During the earnings call associated with the report, Sprint also said that it has agreed to purchase $15.5 billion worth of Apple iPhones, which is half what its commitment was rumored to be.

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Amazon Wireless sells the HTC EVO Design 4G for just $30

I tell you what, I know where I’m buying my next phone. After a massive Verizon sale earlier this month, the Wireless store at Amazon is selling the brand-new HTC EVO Design 4G for just thirty bones – a savings of $70 on the retail version. Of course, to get this rock-bottom price you’ll have to sign up for a new two-year service agreement. The phone’s already back-ordered, so you might want to get an order in soon.

The HTC EVO Design 4G is an updated version of the EVO Shift 4G, and a worthy one at that. IT utilizes HTC’s newfangled unibody metal construction, and with a 4-inch qHD screen it looks good from either side. A 1.2GHz processor and 769MB of RAM should handle Gingerbread nicely, and the 1520 mAh battery should be alright as long as you don’t hit the WiMAX too hard. 4GB of on-board storage is bolstered by a generous 8GB MicroSD card, and assuming you can find a 4G signal, you can share it with up to 8 devices via the mobile hotspot app.
Early reports are that it’s a solid alternative for the $100 price tag, so at just $29.99, it’s a real bargain. Head on over to the Amazon link above to get one for yourself, or wait for the Android Community review later this week.
[via Phandroid]

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Sprint’s Motorola Admiral Pictured in the Wild

Sprint’s Motorola Admiral has been pictured in the wild, and wouldn’t you know, it looks a lot like the handset pictured in an official promo video posted last month. While we speculated an announcement would be forthcoming shortly, the video was pulled and no further word has been given about the Sprint Direct Connect device. Given that history, we are hesitant to speculate on whether or not the new photos suggest a release could be imminent, but expecting the phone sometime in the near future is a safe bet.

Word along with the photos confirms the specs laid out previously: a 1.2GHz single-core CPU, 3.1-inch display, 5MP camera, and Android 2.3.
[via Engadget]

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Sprint will launch 15 LTE devices next year, including phones and tablets

Sprint has revealed that it will launch "at least" 15 new devices next year that support its upcoming 4G LTE network. The carrier promises that there will be smartphones, tablets, and mobile hotspot devices available.
The first LTE phones will be CDMA and LTE dual-mode, though Sprint says that mobile hotspot devices will offer CDMA, WiMAX, and LTE connectivity options. Both HTC and Motorola have confirmed that they will offer smartphones and tablets for Sprint's new network, and Motorola said that it expects to launch a CDMA-based push-to-talk phone for Sprint before the end of this year.

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Sprint details 4G LTE network roll-out plans, launch in mid-2012

During Sprint's Network Vision announcement this morning, the carrier detailed its plans to transition from its 4G WiMAX network over to a 4G LTE network. Sprint will be aggressively deploying LTE over a variety of spectrum holdings that it has access to.
The first thing that Sprint plans to do is to shut down its iDEN network, used for its push-to-talk services for the Nextel brand. The iDEN network runs on 800MHz spectrum, and Sprint intends to migrate users from iDEN to its new CDMA-based push-to-talk services by 2013.
Before the iDEN network is shut down, though, Sprint will deploy 4G LTE services on its 1900MHz spectrum. The carrier is aggressively deploying this, with a launch planned for mid-2012. The LTE rollout is expected to be largely complete by 2013. This isn't Sprint's only LTE plan, as it has a partnership with LightSquared to use the 1600MHz band for LTE as well, provided LightSquared's network is approved by the FCC. Sprint also has access to Clearwire's 2,500MHz spectrum, which it currently uses for WiMAX service. The carrier said that it could eventually utilize that for LTE capacity in the future.
Once the iDEN network has been decommissioned, the 800MHz spectrum will be freed up for 3G CDMA voice service and 4G LTE data service. Sprint is confident that it has enough spectrum holdings to maintain capacity through 2015. It claims to be prepared for the onslaught of new devices, including the iPhone, and has been preparing its network capacity for months.
Sprint's LTE plans include four different bands of spectrum: 1,900MHz, 1,600MHz, 800MHz, and possibly 2,500MHz. All of these are different from the 700MHz spectrum that AT&T and Verizon Wireless already use for LTE, which makes device interoperability between the networks nearly impossible.
Sprint expects to cover 120 million residents with LTE in 2012, with 250 million covered by the end of 2013. It currently covers 123 million with WiMAX, and the future LTE network will overlap with that.

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Sprint promises to sell WiMAX devices through 2012, despite LTE roll-out

Sprint has confirmed that it will continue to offer 4G WiMAX devices through 2012, despite its concurrent roll-out of its new LTE network.
Sprint's WiMAX devices will not be compatible with its new LTE network, but the carrier is committed to supporting WiMAX devices for the near future. LTE devices are expected to be available for the network's launch in mid-2012.
Sprint did not clarify if it would continue to offer WiMAX devices after 2012.

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Sprint iPhone 5 spotted in Radio Shack inventory list?

Sprint users, it looks like your wait for the iPhone 5 is almost over. Over the past few months we’ve had some hints about the iPhone arriving on the Now Network. The increased Early Termination Fee, increased upgrade fees and the installation of Sprint cellular repeaters in Apple Stores. Now we’ve got one more clue which pretty much confirms the Sprint iPhone – if it turns out to be the real deal.
The folks over at 9to5Mac were sent a screenshot showing the inventory listing of the Radio Shack, and on it is an entry with the description “16GB SPRINT APPLE IPHONE 5″ alongside other entries for the Verizon and AT&T iPhone 5. Assuming the picture wasn’t doctored, this is pretty good confirmation of the iPhone 5 arriving on Sprint.
Fortunately the official iPhone announcement is going to take place tomorrow, and we’ll know for sure by then. Stay tuned to Ubergizmo – we’ll be keeping you updated with the details as they are unveiled. iPhone 5 with unlimited data – I can see some of you already drooling. Who’s excited?

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Sprint Puts The Kibosh On Buggy LG Optimus S Gingerbread Update

Two weeks ago we told you how Sprint users were finally about to get some Gingerbread for their LG Optimus S handsets, just a few weeks after the update became available for the international Optimus One. Things were looking good, and we noted "assuming nothing goes wrong and forces it to halt distribution, it should hit nearly every subscriber with an Optimus S within about ten days." Oh, how we should have knocked on wood! It turns out that the update has been wreaking havoc on the Optimus S, breaking so much functionality that Sprint's withdrawn the update.

Sprint acknowledges the problem on its forums, promising that it and LG were working on diagnosing the issues and assuring users that the halt on the update's distribution is only temporary; once things are worked out, the Optimus S will finish getting Gingerbread.

So, what's going wrong? Oh, just a few small problems like an inability to get online, your PC not recognizing the phone when plugged-in over USB, refusal to recognize the presence of microSD cards, and finding itself in a state where it will no longer recharge while powered-on, eventually running the battery down to nothing. Predictive text is also turning-up broken, but compared to the rest of these issues, it seems positively minor. There are some suggested fixes for these individual issues, but no word on when an update addressing all of them may become available.

Source: Sprint
Via: Phandroid

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